Chapter 7 - The Mastermind Unmasked
The bullet struck Adrian in the shoulder, spinning him around. The rifle slipped from his grasp as he hit the wet concrete floor.
Vance sneered, standing over Adrian with the small pistol pointed at his forehead. "You were always too sentimental, Salim. That’s why you failed."
"No!" Payson screamed, throwing a metal wrench he had picked up from the floor with all his small strength.
The wrench struck Vance squarely in the side of the head. It wasn't enough to knock the large man down, but it threw off his aim just long enough. Adrian kicked Vance’s legs out from under him with a sweeping leg strike. Vance crashed down hard, dropping his weapon into the dark waters below the pier.
Adrian scrambled up, pinning Vance to the ground and pulling out his standard-issue handcuffs. With a crisp CLACK, he secured Vance’s wrists behind his back.
"Captain Richard Vance, you are under arrest," Adrian wheezed, breathing heavily through the pain in his shoulder.
Within fifteen minutes, the sirens of state police cruisers and ambulances filled the air. Red and blue lights flashed across the water as federal agents and state troopers secured the docks, taking Vance and the surviving mercenaries into custody.
An hour later, at the secure state police medical facility, Adrian sat in a clean hospital gown, his shoulder patched up. Beside him sat Payson, eating a warm meal and wrapped in a thick thermal blanket.
The door to the private recovery room opened softly. Marcus stepped in, holding a wide smile on his face.
"She's awake, brother," Marcus said quietly. "The doctors managed to flush the rest of the neurotoxin out of her system. She's asking for you two."
Adrian and Payson rushed into the adjoining room.
There, sitting up in the hospital bed with color returning to her cheeks, was Preston. Her dark hair fell softly around her shoulders, and though she looked tired, her eyes were bright and filled with tears of joy.
"Adrian... Payson..." she cried softly, reaching her arms out.
Payson ran forward, burying his face into her waist, hugging her as tightly as he could without hurting her. "Mom! You're back! I knew you were alive!"
Preston kissed the top of her son's head, sobbing quietly as she held him. "I heard you, sweetheart. I heard you at the casket. Your voice was the only thing that kept me fighting through the darkness."
Adrian walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed and wrapping his arms around both of them. Preston looked up at her husband, tracing the fresh scars on his face and the bandage on his shoulder.
"Julian did this... didn't he?" Preston asked softly, her voice trembling. "Before I lost consciousness at home, he offered me a drink. I thought it was just wine... but then my legs went numb. He whispered in my ear that he was taking back what was 'his.'"
"Julian and Vance are both in custody now," Adrian assured her, kissing her forehead gently. "They will never touch you or our family ever again. The state police have seized all of Julian's assets and uncovered his entire corruption ring."
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"It's over?" she asked, searching his eyes.
"It's over," Adrian promised. "We're safe."
